Edibles: A Beginners Guide

Edibles are a great way to experience cannabis! It is however a personal experiment that requires a lot of self education to land on the right amount for your desired outcome.

The challenge is that if you are making them yourself at home or trying ones that are homemade by others, you may end up taking too much and end up having a really bad experience. The flip side to that is if you do it right it is actually quite amazing! Studies show that ingesting may produce a longer-lasting and less intoxicating high over smoking or vaping marijuana.

First let us tell you that it is pretty easy to eat too much – why? Because they often taste, really really great!

Imagine you get to eat a single piece of the chocolate bar not the entire chocolate bar.

The good news is that you will be fine if you over slightly over-consume but it will be an uncomfortable few hours.

The biggest mistake newbies make is not having enough patience.

You see, it does take some time to metabolize the edible through your liver and ultimately hit you! Some people simply metabolize faster than others, so your friends might be feeling it and you are not. To make matters slightly more complex some people don’t even experience a ‘high’ the first couple of times they try edibles for some unknown factor! So, please give your body a couple of hours before ramping up the dosage.

Trust us when we tell you it is not FUN to accidentally OVER CONSUME.

If you are able to purchase edibles in your jurisdiction please ensure you read the packaging.

Ask yourself, twice, how many mg of THC per serving?

What is a serving size?

Is a serving size, part of the package or the entire package?

Is the serving size appropriate for my tolerance level?

Be careful, we once misread the packaging and that resulted in a long evening of couch melt! It can happen to anyone that is not careful. Maureen Dowd, winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary and author of three New York Times best sellers had a very bad trip because she was not clear on the dosage. Read about that disaster here!

First timers should consume with a friend, in a safe environment, like your home or theirs. Seriously.

Always remember the golden rule of Edibles

START.LOW.GO.SLOW

Tips for Safe First Time Edible Consumption

If your first doesn’t seem to be enough, wait 2 hours to make sure it’s taken effect, and then try taking more

You might not get high the first few times

Have some healthy and non-infused snacks handy!

Avoid mixing cannabis and alcohol

Symptoms of a moderate to intense high include:

Increased (and more noticable) heart rate

Dry mouth

Paranoia / anxiety

Glassy, red eyes

Increased appetite (the munchies)

Forgetfulness

Lack of speech control

Lack of coordination of limbs

Check out the dosing chart below which was designed to help you with your own self discovery and edible experimentation to prevent over-consumption.

THE INTOXICATING EFFECTS OF CANNABIS PRODUCTS MAY BE DELAYED UP TO TWO HOURS. CANNABIS USE WHILE PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING MAY BE HARMFUL. CONSUMPTION OF CANNABIS PRODUCTS IMPAIRS YOUR ABILITY TO DRIVE AND OPERATE MACHINERY. PLEASE USE EXTREME CAUTION

Weed edibles, particularly high doses, can lead to extreme anxiety! This is not a good feeling so we are providing some anecdotal strategies that may help.

What to Do If You Get Too High

So you or a friend has over consumed cannabis – now what? We have compiled a list that will help you get through this experience.

1. Tell/Call a friend and ask them to support you through this unwanted experience

2. Take CBD to offset anxiety

3. Drink Water – best if it has a bit of sugar and some lemon (terpene limonene and sugar help metabolize THC)

4. Surrender to the experience – time is all you really need

5. Get distracted – try watching a fun stoner flick – now is the perfect time!